1
as in dual
consisting of two members or parts that are usually joined
the double-edged purpose of the sales promotion is to clear out existing stock and to attract new customers
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2
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
her double-edged remark that she hoped that I ultimately got what I deserved
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Recent Examples of double-edged
Seneca’s and Cicero’s invocations of humanitas were as double-edged as our own talk of the humanities, pointing at once to a body of knowledge and to a moral choice that learning might inspire.
—
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2025
However, trust is double-edged.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Putin boasts of Russia’s record-low 2.3% unemployment rate, but this sword is double-edged.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 26 Jan. 2025
For Eisenberg’s film, the decision is double-edged: from the perspective of the characters, exceptional demands are placed on the dialogue to make their past come to life, but the dialogue isn’t sufficiently rich or imaginative to meet the challenge.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
Usually double-edged, the weapons were occasionally decorated with engraved patterns.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024
Among artists and intellectuals, technology has always been double-edged, utopian and dystopian.
—Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 27 Apr. 2023
Nearly all executives and investors in this niche of neurotechnology acknowledge Musk’s impact on the field, though some say it is double-edged.
—Daniel Gilbert, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2023
Trending For Sohn, identity is double-edged.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2023
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2025
However, trust is double-edged.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Putin boasts of Russia’s record-low 2.3% unemployment rate, but this sword is double-edged.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 26 Jan. 2025
For Eisenberg’s film, the decision is double-edged: from the perspective of the characters, exceptional demands are placed on the dialogue to make their past come to life, but the dialogue isn’t sufficiently rich or imaginative to meet the challenge.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
Usually double-edged, the weapons were occasionally decorated with engraved patterns.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024
Among artists and intellectuals, technology has always been double-edged, utopian and dystopian.
—Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 27 Apr. 2023
Nearly all executives and investors in this niche of neurotechnology acknowledge Musk’s impact on the field, though some say it is double-edged.
—Daniel Gilbert, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2023
Trending For Sohn, identity is double-edged.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for double-edged
Adjective
-
The central bank must balance a dual mandate to keep inflation under control and maximize employment.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
To give yourself more storage for holding all of your vacation must-haves, simply snap both bags together to create a dual compartment design.—
Michelle Baricevic,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
When institutions offer ambiguous framing, populists provide clarity.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
This ambiguous legacy as both enslaver and emancipator has troubled Americans ever since.—
John Garrison Marks,
Time,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Even before the album's release, XG’s youngest member, Cocona, came out as AFAB transmasculine non-binary last month, becoming the first artist in the Asian pop industry to do so.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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That binary choice is one that could spell the doom of the astonishingly successful mutual defense agreement that was founded in 1949 and shepherded wealth and stability across North America and Europe in the post-World War II era.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Disco, Occasionally, the British superstar’s fourth studio album that’s been teased via a creeping, ongoing rollout with cryptic posters, a WhatsApp chat, listening sessions in indie record shops and a series of city residencies in place of a sprawling global tour.—
Jeff Benjamin,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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The announcement of a new tour and album comes weeks after Styles teased devotees with posters, videos, a cryptic website and an intriguing song snippet starting in late December.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Instead of the springer or girder front suspension and semi-hard-tail frame of the original, the Chief Vintage uses modern but stylized front forks and discreet twin rear shocks that mimic the unsprung frame of the post-war bikes.—
William Roberson,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Days later, Vindman and his twin brother were removed from their National Security Council jobs.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Malcolm’s subjects are very old-school, doctrinaire, rigid Freudian psychoanalysts who get involved in impossibly obscure academic debates.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
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But then last January, an obscure AI startup named DeepSeek released a generative AI platform, R1, which was comparable to ChatGPT but purporting to use just a fraction of Nvidia’s bleeding-edge chips.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Jim is the only one standing still, staring straight at the camera with his intense, dark-blue eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Small described the shooter as a male who was wearing dark clothing and black and white shoes.—
Tom Ignudo,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Double-edged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/double-edged. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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